Breaking Windows: Linux raises its game

The rise of Linux in the corporate environment has been remarkable. Who would have believed a year ago that the upstart OS would have the full backing of IBM, HP, SCO and Corel to name but a few? But can it really challenge Windows? Joey Gardiner asks the top vendors what's next

IDC says Linux has a quarter of the server OS market sown up. Linux vendor VA Linux (of record-breaking IPO fame) was recently named the number five server company in the world by IDC, and saw its revenues increase by 700 per cent in its latest set of results. In addition, Netcraft finds a third of all Web sites run on Linux. In other words Linux is going places. It has made massive strides over the past year in becoming a serious, corporate operating system. Business analysts talk about it. Even the UK Royal Family runs its Web site on it (http://www.royal.gov.uk ). And, most importantly, the big software vendors - with one major exception - offer or support Linux. Matt Szulik, CEO of Red Hat, said: "This is a cultural and a technology revolution, where technology becomes fundamental to all our lives. It's our mission to expand that revolution so customers ultimately have freedom of choice." Linux guru and key kernel developer for Red Hat, Alan Cox, believes that with the recent rise of Linux vendors freedom of choice is already within IT directors' grasp. "You now have enough support to go out there and buy Linux. Not only that, but you can buy your support from a choice of vendors - you have freedoms you don't have with other operating systems," he said. But despite all this progress, there are many in the business world still reluctant to trust an OS seen as the property of techies and nerds. Gary Cooper, research manager at the Butler Group, said: "When you look at the end user community the question they ask themselves is: 'Do I bet my business on this operating system?' And the answer put forward more than often is: "No I don't.'" So what does the OS need to do to convince it is as trusty, and well, dull, as say NT4 or Solaris. On this point, opinions vary. Larry Augustin, CEO of VA Linux, reckons it needs to scale further. He said: "Where Linux hasn't scaled is the very large databases. The 16-, 32-processor systems - very large systems - is where Linux's next step will be." John "Mad Dog" Hall, executive director of vendor body, Linux International, said while Linux is stable, it is not truly 24x7, and needs to reach this level of operation to be taken more seriously. He said: "Right now Linux is well known for being stable - which means it runs for a year or two years without needing a reboot. But that doesn't mean you can make your file system bigger while the system is up and running, or replace a disk drive on the fly while the system is up. There are people working on this now, and within the next two or three years it will be able to do this kind of work." However, while scalability and stability are still major issues, most agree the biggest challenge is the corporate desktop. Red Hat's Alan Cox said: "The desktop is going to be the big one. The applications are just coming, the desktop is almost there, and I think over the next 6 to 12 months we'll see a lot more apps, both free and proprietary." Again VA Linux's Larry Augustin feels it's a matter of applications. He said: "Linux has four per cent of the desktop - just one point behind Apple's - which is tremendous given Microsoft's dominance in that space. I think if we see a few key applications move, Linux could be a major player in that space." However, with a huge installed base, Microsoft still holds all the cards. Butler Group's Gary Cooper added: "Linux has an awful lot of catching up to do - it's not going to replace NT in the short-term." Change is afoot though. With the desktop seen as the biggest proving ground for Linux, the open source vendors are rubbing their hands with glee on the news Microsoft is to be split down the middle. The division of the software giant between applications and operating systems can only help Linux's cause in that area. So while the Linux faithful continue to evangelise, the rest of us get on with the job of choosing the best IT at the best price for our companies. And perhaps, despite all the technical innovations still needed, it is the move to the corporate space that remains Linux's biggest challenge.